The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lake grad playing waiting game
Coronavirus outbreak has Summer Olympics in limbo period
It’s been an eventful time in Matt Ludwig’s post-NCAA pole vaulting career.
It could get even more eventful from multiple angles with the status of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in doubt.
Ludwig has been performing well enough to be in contention for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. On the flip side, there might be a chance he and others could face a summer without the Olympics.
On Feb. 25, Dick Pound — the longest-serving member of the IOC — estimated there’s a threemonth window to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics.
That’s the waiting game for Olympic hopefuls across the country, including Ludwig, an NCAA champion from the University of Akron. The outbreak of the coronavirus virus has athletes, game, events and sports leagues across the globe in scramble mode.
Perhaps none have the cloud of uncertainty surrounding it more than the Tokyo Games.
The Lake Catholic graduate and Chardon native has his sights set on earning an Olympic bid when the June 19-28 U.S. Olympic
Trials are held in June in Eugene, Ore.
After that, the status of Summer Games is unclear. The virus has already made an impact on the track and field community.
The World Indoor Track and Field Championship meet scheduled for March 13-15 in Nanjing, China, was recently postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. It’s been rescheduled for next March.
Ludwig earned a spot at the World event Feb. 14 when he won the pole vault competition at USA Track and Field Indoor Nationals at Albuquerque, N.M.
But that opportunity went by the wayside when the outbreak of the virus made hosting the event impossible.
“I think my parents were the ones most disappointed,” said Ludwig. “They were crushed.”
That’s not to say Ludwig wasn’t also disappointed, but he knows there’s an opportunity at the U.S. Trials in Eugene.
“A lot of the job in professional track and field is adapting,” said Ludwig. “There’s always changes along the way, and you just adapt. The Olympic Trials in pole vault is so competitive, there’s really no time to worry about the status of the (Summer) Games. If something happens, we’ll be notified, but the mindset for all of us is to be ready in June.”
Ludwig won in Albuquerque with a career-best vault of 19 feet, 2.25 inches. In his last meet in Mexico, he did even better with a jump of 19-4.5, which is good news for his Olympics cause — if there is a Summer Olympics.
He continues to work with Akron track and field coach Dennis Mitchell in Akron. The goal is not to peak with a careerbest jump this spring but in June at the Trials. Lingering, though, is the status of the Summer Games, and what could be a lot of questions if they aren’t competed in Tokyo.
“A lot of people would be crushed, not just myself,” said Ludwig. “Thankfully, I’m just 23. Most medalists in the pole vault are around 27, 28 years old. It pays to be a veteran in this event ... But it would be terrible if the Games were canceled.”